SIU mulls options in Carbondale chancellor's post

CARBONDALE — Southern Illinois University in Carbondale will have to find a new chancellor.

Chancellor Rita Cheng was approved Wednesday as the new president of 26,000-student Northern Arizona University and is scheduled to start there in mid-August.

Cheng has been chancellor of SIU's 18,000 student Carbondale campus since 2010.

SIU's president, Randy Dunn, says he'll be meeting next week with the university's governing board to discuss how to proceed in filling Cheng's post. He expects someone to be appointed interim chancellor while any search for a permanent replacement takes place.

Dunn says that at least for now, Cheng will work at SIU into next month.